The City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement department has seen a 70% surge in arrests in the past year, along with increases in all key enforcement categories. The increases are, in part, due to a massive resource injection courtesy of the Neighbourhood Safety Officers (NSO) initiative, and the establishment of a specialised anti-hijacking unit.

25 years

The City’s Metro Police Department is in its 25th year of operations. The first intake of recruits started active duty in December 2001. Over time, numerous specialised units have been introduced, including the K9 and Equestrian units, the Gang and Drug Task Team, the Strategic Surveillance Unit (CCTV), and the Tactical Response Unit.

In September 2025, the Metro Police Department welcomed 700 new recruits who have been deployed in 99 municipal wards as Neighbourhood Safety Officers. The following month, 44 additional Metro Police officers started working on a shift rotation to shore up patrols on the N2 and surrounds. In November, an increase in hijacking incidents involving City-owned vehicles led to the establishment of the Anti-Hijacking Unit, focusing on vehicle recoveries in Khayelitsha and surrounds.

Bearing fruit

“The fruits of these additional investments in our resources are evident in our annual statistics. I am pleased to note the increases in key categories, which are indicative of consistent efforts to drive down crime rates and hold those responsible to account within our limited scope. The amount of narcotics removed from our streets has nearly doubled, and there have been notable gains, too, in the recovery of illegal firearms and ammunition, along with stolen vehicles.

“While these are incredible successes worth noting, we need to work towards improving conviction rates. The City has placed on record its willingness and ability to assist, if granted expanded powers for our Metro Police Department, and we are now pursuing further steps to bring this to a head with national government,” said Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith.

Attacks on staff

A note of concern is the consistent increase in the number of attacks on staff. These have nearly doubled in the past few years, from 64 incidents in the 2022/23 financial year to 116 in the 2025/26.

“I struggle to understand how people can deliberately turn on the very ones who put their lives on the line to make communities safer, and yet it is a reality that our staff face far too often. In fact, on average, a Metro Police officer is targeted in some way every three days. That’s not including our other enforcement and emergency services. The fact is that it’s but a small number of people who choose to protect the bad guys, instead of helping the good guys. In doing so, they are putting entire communities at risk from criminals who remain free to continue their illegal deeds,” added Smith.

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